News
Pediatrics West launches Smart Sex program
(CONCORD, Mass., March 12, 2008)--Pediatrics West, which has offices at the Emerson Hospital Health Centers in Westford and Groton, will offer a free workshop, titled “Let’s Be Honest!,” for parents and other caregivers of children aged 10-14 years old. The workshop, which will be held in Westford on April 16 from noon-2:00 pm and again on April 17 from 6:30-8:30 pm, is designed to help parents learn how to create a comfortable environment of trust for talking about sex and sexuality. The program will address topics such as clarifying values and practicing communication skills; revisiting knowledge of reproductive anatomy, physiology, and puberty; promoting healthy relationships and self-esteem; and battling peer pressure and media influences.
The workshop, part of the Smart Sex program, is offered by Pediatrics West in collaboration with the Parent Education Program of Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts. Fallon Community Health Plan (FCHP) requested proposals for grants to benefit physician-directed programs that support the FCHP mission of “making our communities healthy.” The innovative Pediatrics West team of Dr. Joan Eagan, Jessica Hennessey, CPNP, Jayne Laurin, NP, and Anh Lewin, RN, authored the Smart Sex proposal, which was recognized with a $5,000 grant to develop the program.
The workshop will emphasize the importance of communication between parents and children, which establishes family values and enables young people to make safer decisions. “This workshop will educate parents so they can talk to their young teenagers about making informed, responsible decisions as it pertains to their reproductive and sexual health,” said Jessica Hennessey, CPNP, program director. “As health care providers, we believe that young people have a right to medically-sound information that will help protect their reproductive and sexual health, and, when combined with appropriate education and support, that they are capable of making responsible decisions.”
Pediatrics West, with nine physicians and five nurse practitioners, serves more than 15,000 patients. It is open 7:00 am – 8:00 pm, and it has regular hours on Saturday and Sunday. Pediatrics West is located at 133 Littleton Road in Westford and at 100 Boston Post Road in Groton. Both offices have laboratory and X-ray facilities, and the Westford location also offers physical therapy, ultrasound, CT, and MRI scans. Both Westford and Groton offer comprehensive health care maintenance, acute care, and consultation for complex pediatric medical issues. In keeping with its mission of offering high-quality pediatric and adolescent care, Pediatrics West provides specialty services in allergy and asthma, school and behavioral issues, sports medicine, and cardiology. All of the physicians are accepting new patients.
To register for the workshop, which will be held in Westford, call 978-577-0437. Five-week workshops for middle school and high school students (another component of the Smart Sex program) that will address topics such as unhealthy relationships, puberty, gender roles, and STDs, will be held in May.